GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A glut of
closed school buildings are part of the real estate mix in the Grand Rapids
area, but finding buyers is proving difficult, school officials told The Grand
Rapids Press.

Eleven buildings in four public
school districts are up for sale, The Press reported. The empty buildings are
expensive to maintain; Grand Rapids Public Schools spends $30,000 to $40,000
annually on its empty schools, of which five are on the market, according to
the report.

Grand Rapids city planner Suzanne
Schultz said it can be hard to find uses compatible with the single-family
neighborhoods where most of the schools are located, The Press reported. The
families that live around vacant schools told The Press that they would like to
see the buildings used rather than fall into disrepair.

Other former schools have been
used for housing, nonprofit organizations and churches, The Press reported.
Another issue is whether to accept low bids for the sake of bringing money into
the district; Grand Rapids received a $1.6 million offer for three schools,
about $500,000 lower than the listed price, The Press reported.